Nasa decides against further spacewalk

Nasa told space shuttle Discovery’s astronauts today that a spacewalk to repair a torn thermal blanket will not be necessary.

Mission Control told the crew of seven that the shuttle will be safe for re-entry with the torn blanket below the cockpit window.

If NASA had ordered a spacewalk, it would have been the fourth of the mission, and the second time during the flight that the astronauts had to step outside to repair the shuttle’s thermal protection.

Discovery Commander Eileen Collins has said she is confident about returning her crew to Earth safely, despite unprecedented orbit repairs to her ship.

“We have looked at everything,” Collins said. “I’m really looking forward to getting back and seeing my family again.”

Yesterday, Discovery astronaut Stephen Robinson removed two pieces of filler material from the shuttle’s underside in an unprecedented space repair job that drew a big sigh of relief from Nasa.

But Robinson was barely back inside the shuttle and out of his spacesuit when Mission Control informed the crew there was a chance that a fourth spacewalk may be needed to deal with a torn thermal blanket below a cockpit window.

The concern was that a 30-centimetre section of the blanket could rip away during re-entry, whip backward and slam into the shuttle, perhaps causing grave damage. Engineers need to know whether the danger is real and whether any blanket trimming is required.

Astronaut Charles Camarda said his first trip to space had been fantastic, especially for an engineer.

“This is the first time we have ever scrutinised the vehicle like we are doing on orbit,” Camarda said. “I expected the bottom of the vehicle to look a lot worse.”